Distractions
by Hanyou Yarnball
Summary: Another KaRe! Attempting, and failing, to concentrate on his 'captainly duties', Kai comes to a conclusion on the reason for his distraction and hatches his Grand Plan to make amends- With some unwanted help from Hillary! Please like it!
1. Distracted

Yay! My next attempt at KaRe-ness! Let's hope it works! Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last fic, and to my rooted-chan for the courage to go on!!!

DISCLAIMER: Still don't own Beyblade or any characters from it that appear... Alas, woe is me...

* * *

Kai knew he was supposed to be concentrating. There was a book open on the table beside the notepad covered in statistics he'd need to use to work out a strategy for the Bladebreakers' next tournament. Of course, Tyson being on the team meant any strategy would quickly be flushed unceremoniously yet spectacularly down the drain, but Kai was the team captain, and as such he had to -something-.

Crossing his arms, he scowled at the book, willing it to do his work for him. Names of 'bladers and teams caught his attention at random… or maybe not so much at random...

There were the White Tigers, the Chinese champions and former teammates of his own teammate Rei Kon. Former teammates, and, Kai figured, judging from the closeness they shared, his family as well. His own Biovolt team, led by almost clinically insane Tala, and Bryan who Rei faced in their first ever World Championships… Then there was Ozuma and the Saint Shields, who had captured Rei's Bitbeast in the year that Kai teamed up with the Chinese boy in the Championships… And there was the 'blader Rei had faced and successfully defeated in the…

It occurred to Kai that this was not strategizing. It was daydreaming. And how could he be blamed, if right across the table was-

"Kai? D'you think you could give me a hand with this?" Rei scratched his head with the end of his pencil, chewing on his lip, his smooth forehead wrinkled in a frown. Stray locks of luscious black hair hung loose to frame his face, the rest bunched in a high ponytail held up by a cloth band. He looked adorable.

Kai could have jumped him.

But that was not the 'Kai' way. The Great Hiwatari did not jump people. He regarded people with a stoic expression of calm and melted into puddles of mushy goo inside.

"I've tried to do the same calculation about ten times already, and each time I come up with a different answer!" Rei intoned.

This was all Hillary's doing, of course. She wanted the Bladebreakers to be smart as well as skilled, so she was loading them with work for their brains. Kai wasn't part of it, of course. Not only was he too smart for this, but Hillary had let out a frightened squeak and backed off after the first 'Ask-me-to-do-sums-and-I'll-make-you-suffer' look. The others, not having the good fortune to inherit the Great Hiwatari Glare Technique, had to do what the girl said, no questions asked. This included the kawaii koneko who was the sole begetter of Kai's distraction and was now looking at him, pleading for help.

Kai squashed the side of his brain that was briefly fantasized on what it would be like to have Rei pleading for something quite different and said, in Stoic Hiwatari mode, "Hm?"

Rei immediately jumped up, a smile breaking on hid lips, and crossed the table to slap the paper down before Kai, leaning over him to explain the problem.

His senses went into overdrive. Here was Rei, so close he could smell the unique blend of cinnamon (from the morning's waffles) and some unidentified flower that was the neko-jin's scent, and Kai, who couldn't pay attention to anything when he was across the friggin' table, was supposed to look at the math? His crimson gaze remained fixed on that almost-feline face, the delicate features, the pointed ears, the beautiful golden pupils in wide eyes that were now looking at him expectantly…

"Huh?" Kai started, colouring at the proximity this had put them in. "What?" he barked, getting out of the chair and regaining his composure.

Rei frowned again. "I asked you if you had any idea what to do…"

"I don't," he said sharply, turning on his heel, his heart pounding so hard he thought he was going to have an attack. The part of his brain that he had squashed earlier came back to say that he should take his chance before he died. He killed it again.

"Kai?"

His voice came out as a harsh rasp and he fought the urge to turn. "Try doing it yourself, Rei. You won't learn if you don't."

"But I did try!" the boy protested. "If you could just tell me if any of these answers are right…"

"I can't!" Kai barked. "I- uh- suck at math." He retreated, abandoning books and notes and heading straight for his room, not stopping even to look where he was going until the door was slid shut behind him and he leaned against it, waiting for his heart to stop racing. "Damnit!" he cursed under his breath. "It's getting worse."

It was no secret to Kai that there was a very large part of him that was utterly, utterly in love with Rei Kon. He had been steadily falling for the neko jin for a good part of the three years they'd known each other, and now in year four, it was at its peak. He couldn't spend more than a few minutes in Rei's company before getting fidgety, and when they got close…

Kai sighed. This was not good for his health, that he was sure of. How did other lovestruck idiots manage, he wondered. Or was it just his problem? From where he saw it, he could choose one of several alternatives. One, he could tell Rei how he felt about him flat out and risk rejection or acceptance; two, he could somehow start hinting subtly about the whole feelings issue and see if he could get the neko jin to fall for him; and three, he could shut up and die of that heart attack.

Seeing as how Hiwataris did not like rejection, and Kai was too young and too gorgeous to die, option two was the only plausible way to go. He would have to start hinting instead of running for his life…

Kai clenched a determined fist. He was (drop- dead- make- the- fangirls- squeal) gorgeous, he was (filthy, stinkin' I-own-a-couple-of-Rolls-Royces) rich, he had the walk and the talk down to an art…

So he had a slight attitude problem… that just added to his mystique… How could Rei resist?

* * *

And that folks, was chapter one!

I hope to keep goin', have Kai hatch his master plan to get Rei...

Whaddaya think? Lemme know and I'll be eternally grateful!

Ja ne,

Yarnball


	2. A Man With A Plan

First off, thanks for all the sugoi reviews! It really made me wanna put up the chapter a lot faster than I would have otherwise! (Heh, yes, this is my definition of a quick post! Don't hate me!)

DISCLAIMER: Still don't own. Still wish I did. Is there a problem with wanting to make the show hardcore yaoi? (evil laugh- Hohoho!)

* * *

A man with a plan, there's my story.

If anyone was to ask Kai Hiwatari what his immediate object in life was, it would be, in no uncertain terms, to make Rei Kon his and his alone. And for this, he had a plan, or rather several plans which he had sketched out and visualized in his obsessed yet fiercely organised mind…

**Kai's Plan To Get Rei No. 1: Be- extremely- nice- to- him- until- the- right- moment- to- confess**

Driger crashed spectacularly against the wall, somehow collapsing into a million tiny fragments. Kai ran over to the fallen 'blader, giving Rei a shoulder to lean on as he got to his feet.

"Are you all right, Rei?"

"I'm… fine, Kai," he said weakly.

"Here, let me help you with that," Kai said gallantly, helping him collect the broken fragments of his blade. "This happened 'cuz you're working yourself too hard. You need to take a break from the training."

"Thank you so much, Kai…" Rei said shyly.

"Don't mention it. By the way, I'm doing this because… I love you, Rei."

"You… do?"

"Yes. Although my cold exterior might not show it."

"Oh, Kai. I think… I think… I love you too."

"Heheh. Kiss me, baby."

And then it got graphic, the hentai within being unable to contain itself. Yes, Plan 1 was a good plan. But so was Plan 2…

**Kai's Plan To Get Rei No. 2: The sweep- him- off- his- feet routine.**

"Wow, Kai, a ride in your own private jet plane to an unknown destination?"

"Yes, Rei."

"Wait till I tell Tyson and Max and Kenny and-"

"They won't be coming."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because… You're the one I love."

Golden eyes widened in surprise. "You love little ol' village boy me?"

"Yes I do. Wanna share my riches, baby?"

"Oh Kai!"

And then the 'eventful' plane ride. Yes, Plan 2 wasn't that bad either…

**Kai's Plan To Get Rei No. 3: …** Well, he didn't have Plan 3 yet, it was this that he was currently working on…

"Hey, Kai!"

Tyson was not meant to be part of this visualization. Kai narrowed his eyes at the baseball cap wearing boy waving at him through the open window.

"Kai!" Tyson repeated.

"What?"

"Come on out here and help clean up, would ya?"

Oh yes, it was autumn, which meant that the dojo yard would be carpeted with the reds and browns of fallen leaves that the 'homies' who stayed there were expected to help in clearing up. Kai was not in the least bit concerned with this yearly ritual, having been brought up to believe that cleaning was something done by only lesser beings, not scions of the Great Hiwatari clan like himself.

"Whoa!"

He sat up at the sound that was not of any lesser being but of that being he considered greater than creation itself.

A glance at the window brought him a view of Rei sitting up in a large pile of dry leaves, mock-glowering at the other three who were laughing raucously while Hillary went to help him up. As Kai watched, the neko-jin boy shivered involuntarily at the chill breeze that blew through, rubbing hands on bare arms. For whatever reason, Rei didn't have any proper cold weather clothes, nothing he could wear that didn't look like a mass produced piece of garbage. The first thing he thought was how nice it would be to wrap his own arms around him and let him know there was someone to keep him warm. The second thought… the second thought was the one that solidified Plan 3. It was autumn. It was cold. Kitties didn't like cold. Rei was as kitty-like as they came.

Yes. Kai was the man with the plan.

He would buy Rei a present.

* * *

Well? Whaddaya think? You like? Tell me! Onegai!

Okay, no more begging!

More later!

Ja ne,

Yarnball


	3. Shopping

Voila! Chapter three! Forgive my lateness, for tis due to annoying sem exams that I managed to get through without phasing into shounen -ai land too much!

Oh, and I realised Daichi isn't in this fic even though I envision it in post G-Rev times. Um, maybe he went back to his mountain home for a while? Heh. No offence to Daichi fans, I just have no clue what to do with him!

And now to the show!

DISCLAIMER: Don't own. I sink into the deepest depths of depression and still don't own. Alas, poor me, that this sad fate of not owning is mine.

* * *

Shopping.

Kai couldn't believe he was actually out _shopping_.

Shopping was something Kai Hiwatari didn't do as a matter of principle. Shopping was something done by women in high heels and men who didn't have anything more worthwhile to do with their lives. Or at least it was until someone like Kai did it.

"What're you gonna get Maxie? I'm gonna go check out that new burger joint on the second floor!"

"I'm with you Tyson, I heard they have a neat double mayo super burger!"

"I need to check if they have any software upgrades for my battle simulator…"

"Squeee! I just have to see if they have that woman's top in my size!"

If Kai had to go shopping, he'd long since decided he wasn't going to do it alone. And so he'd hinted to Hillary that spending some time out for recreation would be good for the 'Breakers. The girl had jumped at the chance to do something 'constructive and creative', of course, and so they were at the local mall where Kai intended to slip away from the rest of the team and get Rei that present. He had a vague idea what it'd be, so all he'd have to do was wait till they all split up and then make his way-

"Hey, Kai…?"

"Huh?" He turned to see he was standing alone in the complex, everyone else having already gone. Everyone, except Rei. The neko-jin was next to him, looking a little embarrassed.

"Mind if I tag along?" Rei asked with a small smile.

His shoulders shrugged their non-committal response before his mind could warn his body not to react. Taking the gesture to mean 'yes', Rei perked up, brightening visibly. Kai groaned inwardly. As wonderful as a shopping trip with the love of his life would be, he hadn't planned for such an eventuality. This was going to make things much more difficult…

"So what do you have to get?" Rei asked as they passed shop window after window. "Clothes?"

"Hn."

"I've been thinking of investing in something warm," the boy continued thoughtfully, his golden gaze flitting through the displays. "But something tells me everything's way outta my budget in here!"

The concept of a budget was so new and foreign to Kai that he chose to just nod his head solemnly. It was only then that the idea struck him that having Rei along was much more beneficial than he thought, and not only to the fantasizing hentai within. This way, it wouldn't be necessary for Kai to find a decent gift for Rei and hope he liked it. He could make Rei pick it himself.

"Rei," he said suddenly, surprising the other blader. "I need a hand."

"Huh?" Rei blinked.

"I want you to help me pick out… something."

"Something?"

"A- coat."

"For yourself? Because I think you know your taste better than anyone else-"

"Not for me," Kai interrupted. "For… a friend. Someone… special."

A mischievous smile curved the other boy's lips, although Kai couldn't comprehend what it meant. "Someone special, huh?" Rei asked, his tone teasing. "Is it anyone I know?"

Kai found himself nodding before he could stop himself.

"Someone on the team?"

"Hn."

"Really? You like someone on the team?!" Rei laughed adorably, and again Kai marvelled at his own ability to keep from pouncing on the boy and claiming him his and his alone. Unfortunately, his moment of self admiration made him miss the next question completely, and he realized only too late that he had nodded absently in reply again. He became aware of his mistake only after Rei's next cry of mirth.

"You do! I knew it! Hillary'll be happy too, I think, 'cuz she clearly has a major crush on you!"

Kai sputtered. "Hi- I… like Hillary?"

The smile hadn't faded from Rei's lips. "It's okay, Kai. I think you two will get along well!"

"I don't."

"Don't be that way, Kai," Rei laughed, playfully punching him on the shoulder. "I know your people skills could do with a little work, but… I think I've got you figured out."

Crimson eyes shot to him. Figured out? Rei… understood him? He held back his snort. Hiwataris were not easily understood, especially those like Kai who took special care to be as enigmatic as possible. And if what Rei understood of Kai was that he liked Hillary, the koneko had a long way to go yet.

"I think there's a whole side of you we don't get to see," Rei continued thoughtfully. "The gruff, don't-talk-to-me-if-you-want-to-live Kai is just one half… There's so much passion…"

Kai choked on thin air, breaking the neko-jin out of his quiet reverie. "P-Passion?" He couldn't believe he was stuttering, but he couldn't help it.

Rei did something Kai had seen him do only a couple of times before, and for the first time because of him. Rei blushed. It was the most becoming, most delicate blush he had ever seen in his entire lifetime (and Kai had made quite a few people blush during his lifetime), but nothing came close to the pinkness that touched the soft tan of Rei's cheeks.

"I was just thinking of how you are when you 'blade," he confessed. "There's, well, passion..."

"Hn." Little did Rei know how much of Kai's passion was directed towards him.

"It'd be nice if you'd direct some of it elsewhere, too, though… Remember how you got last year with the whole Brooklyn mess… I don't think I wanna see you like that again…"

If Kai had been paying proper attention to the neko-jin's voiced aloud thoughts, he might have caught something in his tone that would've given him a good deal of hope. But paying attention was not one of the boy's strong points, and he was too busy thinking what shade of coat would look good on Rei and whether it would compliment anything in Kai's own wardrobe.

"Hey, this one's nice!" Rei exclaimed suddenly, pointing at a coat in a store window. "Looks really cosy, too!"

"Oh?" Kai turned his attention to said garment. Dark maroon, an elegant cut, it would compliment the boy's complexion and lithe figure perfectly. He had to concede that Rei was good at this sort of thing. Weird though his taste in clothing was, what he wore looked great on him. Man oh man, did it look great… No, it was not the time to start drooling. "It does look good," he agreed.

"And it'll look great on Hillary!"

"Yeah it- wha-? Huh?"

"It'll bring out her eyes, don't you think? She'll love it for sure!"

In retrospect, Kai should have come out with the truth then and there. It would have saved him a lot of trouble. But he didn't, because that wasn't the way he did things. He did briefly consider making things a bit clearer, perhaps that he had absolutely no interest in Hillary whatsoever, and he endeavoured to do so with a somewhat stereotypical- "Rei, about that-"

"EEEEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!"

Even without turning around, Kai knew it was Tyson. No one else he knew had such a perfectly honed sense of bad timing. Sure enough, baseball cap and all, the star beyblader dove headfirst into their midst, screaming, "They're after me!!!"

"Who's…" Rei began, but his golden eyes widened in horror a second later when a sound they were too familiar with reached them.

"There he is!"

High pitched.

"And Kai's there too!!"

Hyper-excited.

"And Rei! Ka-wa-ii!!!"

Female.

"AUTOGRAPHS!!!! SQUEEEE!!!"

Fangirls.

Stampeding fangirls.

Kai turned to Rei, their faces uniformly pale.

"Run!!"

* * *

Kai lay back in bed, arms folded behind his head. All in all, the shopping trip had been nothing short of complete disaster. The stampede had chased them to the far corners of the mall, drawing Max, Kenny and Hillary into the whirlwind of its onslaught. The mall had offered to compensate for damages, but there was one high point to it all- the package that lay beside him.

The coat was his, he thought with some degree of evil villain feelings. And soon… (cue start of evil mad-scientist laughter)… Rei would be his too…

* * *

And thus begins the Great Coat Giving Plan®! Hope you liked! Suggestions, comments, outright statements of disgust, all welcome! 


	4. The Complication

Yes! I'm back!!

A million, million 'SANKYUU's to my reviewers! Glad to know you're as into this tale as I am! In this chapter... As the Great Coat Giving Plan is put into action, we shift in POV to innocent little Hillary and the goings on of her mind…

* * *

Hillary was vaguely concerned. It was perfectly natural for girls of her age to be extremely interested in the opposite sex, and she was. She could ogle cute boys with the best of them. She'd ogled Kai when she first met him, she'd ogled Rei to some extent (although the rest of it was envy that he looked so much prettier than most girls she knew)… And she'd had lots of ogling time at the last World Championship, of course. Lots and lots of cute boys there. 

But what was concerning her now was the behaviour of the cute boys who she considered so cute they were practically meant for each other- Kai Hiwatari and Rei Kon. Hillary was, after all, a girl. And girls know when there's a possibility for some nice kawaii shounen-ai. However, boys who are targets for the nice kawaii shounen ai should not be following her around the way Rei was, telling her how Kai was such a nice person underneath the cold heartlessness.

"He's a really dependable guy… if you don't count his tendency to go evil and treacherous occasionally, and that hasn't happened in a few months now…"

Hillary looked up from where she'd been chopping celery for the dinner that Rei was in charge of and she was helping with. "At this rate," he was saying, artfully squeezing lemon over the bacon sizzling on the stove, golden eyes watching her steadily through the coils of smoke winding up from the pan. "He's gonna become nice enough to get around to asking the person he likes best out!"

There was a sharp clack of knife on cutting board, and the girl was immediately frantic about two things: AAAAAH!!! I CUT MY FINGER OFF!!! I'M CRIPPLED!!! DOOOOOOOOM!!!

And: AAAAH!!! KAI AND REI ARE GOING OUT!!! MY CAMERA'S NOT WORKING!!!

"What makes you say that, Rei?" the girl asked airily. "Did he… er… mention anything that maybe possibly might be suggesting at hinting at something of the sort?"

"What?"

"Did he tell you?"

Rei brightened considerably at her apparent interest. "Yes!"

"…"

"Hillary?"

"…"

The boy's expression went from one of self-satisfied pleasure to worry when the girl's eyes began to dilate from over exposure to her own yaoi fantasies. "Hillary! Are you alright? I'm saying Kai likes you!"

A dull 'thud!'. Down went Hillary, lettuce and all.

* * *

The sunlight streamed through the window of Hillary's temporary room at the Granger residence- one she had taken up as part of her solemn duty to make sure the 'Breakers stayed in shape and didn't slack off at any time. However, although her agenda for the day included the introduction of '_several benefactory exercises for a healthy mind in a healthy body_', Hillary wasn't sure she wanted to get out of bed. The whole Kai-Rei complication was too weird. 

Every calculation she'd ever done pointed to the two getting together. The possibility- the remote, disgusting possibility, of Kai liking someone else, and that someone else being _herself_… She buried her head under the blankets. "Everyone's crazy."

There was a quiet knock on the door. She knew that knock well, just as she knew the way everyone else in the house announced their presence outside a room: Tyson and his Grandfather both had the habit of shouting something usually entirely random yet suiting their character ('_Time to get to the smackination, wackeroo gal'_/_ 'I'm so hungry I could eat a whole dinosaur!_'), Max would knock a couple of times then call for her (or whoever the occupant of the room was), Kai would lean against the nearest wall beyond the door until someone opened it, and Kenny usually ended up kicking the door softly with sock-clad feet because his hands would be full of computer. The soft knock that was bold and unassuming at the same time was, of course, Rei.

She trundled out of bed and tried to look as chipper as the neko jin beyond the door, inquiring how she was feeling after her fainting incident. He seemed to be hiding something behind his back.

"I've got something for you," he said with a small smile.

"Eh?"

"_Someone_ really cares about you, Hil," he continued in a conspiratory tone.

"Me?" Hillary squeaked. "Are you sure?"

Rei nodded, holding out a neatly wrapped package. "I found it in my room," he told her. "I was about to open it when I suddenly realised I knew what it was… I think he was kinda shy to give it to you himself so…"

She took the box that was thrust at her with numb fingers, nodding dumbly even after he had continued down the hall, humming to himself, before her brain kicked in again.

"KAI HIWATARI!!!!"

Kai flung away the magazine he'd been flipping through and whipped out the '_Official BBA Trainers' Guide: Everything About Everyone_', pretending to pore over it as gruffly as he could manage.

Hillary stomped into the room with force that made the wooden floor tremble beneath her feet and Kai braced himself, thinking he'd been found out. The girl didn't stop at the door to yell like he expected her to- she grabbed him by the scarf and literally dragged him out with superhuman strength Kai had never suspected her of having, slamming him against the dojo's back wall. By this time, the Hiwatari exterior had been shocked out of existence, and Kai could only stare.

"What's the deal, Kai?" Hillary demanded, a fire blazing in her dark eyes as she glared up at him.

"Huh?"

"Until yesterday, I was sure, more than sure, that you're head over heels for Rei, and now, not only do you tell Rei you like _me_ but you buy me a _coat_!!??" She began shaking him violently by the collar. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU???"

Kai waited till she'd worn herself out, then held up a hand. "Calm down," he told her, loosening his scarf slightly so he could breathe. "I don't like you."

She glared at him. "That's not very flattering," she growled.

Kai faltered. "That's not what I meant. I-"

"I know what you meant," Hillary said, and gave him a smile that reminded him of a demented Barbie doll. "I've been onto you for two years now. You and your cat feeding and random bouts of angst every time the White-"

"RUNAWAY HAIRDRYER!!!"

"Runaway hairdryer?" Kai and Hillary echoed, turning to the house just in time to see Tyson and Max zoom past, apparently being dragged forward by a hairdryer that was making ferocious sucking noises.

"How is that even…?"

"It's those two," Kai said, purposefully stepping forward, knowing he'd have to fix this eventually. "Even spoons turn crazy around them."

Even as he said this, the two boys ran past again, this time in the opposite direction, dragging a toaster clanging and crashing behind them.

"See?"

* * *

Hillary watched Kai sulk. It was a new and fascinating experience, although slightly disturbing. As the boy had already pointed out, Hiwataris had not been made to sulk, and she believed him wholeheartedly. Lone wolf, yes. Cold and uncaring, yes. Angsty and lurking in alleyways, yes. But sitting around sullenly, no, no, no. 

"It's not that bad," she said consolingly. "At least he only thinks you like me. It could be a lot worse…"

"I told him I like you."

"What?! You _moron_! Are you crazy?"

"I didn't do it on purpose," Kai mumbled into his hand, gazing down at the floor gloomily. "He was saying something and… I was distracted in a moment of self-love."

Hillary sighed. "Self love standing in the way of true love… Oh, how can we overcome the obstacle that is your ego, Kai Hiwatari?" The boy mumbled indistinctly, and she fell to thinking. "The way I see it… The only way out of this… Is for you to tell him."

He looked up then, panic stricken eyes meeting hers. "_Tell him?_"

"Tell him. How you feel, I mean. It's actually quite simple I don't know why you didn't think of it before…" She hopped to her feet, clapping her hands together, eyes sparkling, already excited by her plan. "Yes! That's exactly what you should do. Take him somewhere nice, maybe the new restaurant down the road from Mr. Tate's store… And there, in the dim candlelight after an extra special meal of his favourite dishes… You look into his warm golden eyes… Take his hands in yours… And say, 'I love you, Rei'. _Squeeeee_…" She let out a high pitched squeal of delight, melting into a puddle on the floor.

"Hillary?" Kai asked, looking down at the puddle with an embarrassment- flushed face.

"I'll be fine," the puddle answered. "Just enjoying the moment… What do you think of my plan?"

"Hn," Kai replied simply, but he clenched a determined fist, and the puddle of Hillary knew his brain was already whirring into action.

_Plan number 4_: _Take Him Somewhere Nice and Confess_

* * *

Well? Well? Well?! You liked? Lemme know! All it takes is a lil ol' click and a few taps of a keyboard! Tell me if you wanna see anything particular, or have ideas for plans to help our dear pal Kai out!

Lookin' forward to hearing from you, oh wise and learned reviewers!!


	5. First Date or something

I'm back! Here's the latest instalment in Kai's ongoing quest for love! Plan number 4: Take him somewhere nice and confess...

Thank you thank you thank youuuu, to all my reviewers! I never thought I'd have any, fer cryin out loud!

* * *

It was bound to happen.

Fate just had it in for Kai Hiwatari.

And things had been going so well, too…

_"I'm not sure I understand..." Rei frowned._

_Hillary shook her head. "It's perfectly simple, Rei," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "The restaurant's really, really exclusive so they have this policy that they'll only give you a table for two if there're two of you! And since I won't be able to meet Kai at the time he suggested, you have to go there with him so they'll give you the table!"_

_The neko jin blinked. "It still doesn't make sense. Why don't you just meet a little later so-"_

_"No!" she snapped. "Too late and they don't allow any more diners! That's how all the really posh places are these days!"_

_"Are you sure?" he asked. "'Cuz I have worked at a restaurant and they didn't have weird policies like this at all…"_

_"Of course I'm sure," she stated sharply. "Now, be sure to wear something nice or they won't let you in. If you want, I'll help you pick out the perfect outfit." Her eyes misted over as a miniature selection of what she considered suitable clothes for the boy floated translucently around her head._

_"Er, I think I'll be able to manage," Rei said, giving her a hunted look._

_Hillary toned down the predatory gleam in her eyes. Her purpose was not to alienate him, after all. Kai needed her. "Okay! Now, don't forget, Kai'll be ready by seven thirty."_

_"And when'll you be coming?" he asked her. "I was thinking I'll catch the late movie-"_

_"Don't make plans like that already, Rei," she said, waving him away. "I can't be sure when I'll come, so you guys should start eating and stuff, too."_

_"But your date-"_

_She gave a high, dismissive laugh. "Now, now, it's not so much a date as a dinner between good friends, so don't worry!"_

_"Hillary-"_

_"Thanks a million, Rei! Enjoy yourself!" She ran for it._

And there they were, in the most romantic restaurant in town, at a candlelit table in a quiet, cosy corner. Rei had even bought it when Hillary'd called on Kai's cell phone to say she couldn't come but they should have a nice night out: he'd smiled that painfully gorgeous smile of his and looked across at Kai with those painfully gorgeous eyes. "Looks like you're stuck with me, then," he'd said.

Kai focussed on downing his drink so he wouldn't grin stupidly. Before the night was through, Rei would be his and his alone by the force of the poetic, extremely mushy confession Hillary'd written for him, using lines from classic soap operas and her favourite pop songs.

Shortly after they had completed the appetizers, the spiteful Fate kicked in, and Kai began to get the sinking feeling he was going to die alone.

"Kai?! Is that you? And Rei-Rei too! What - a - surprise!!!"

There was only one person crazed enough to call the dark haired Chinese epitome of beauty 'Rei-Rei', and that person was supposed to be a good few thousand kilometres away, battling frostbite before the onset of the Russian winter- he was not supposed to be standing beside the table, beaming at the two boys, pale blue eyes sparkling madly as he waved wildly across the room to someone at a distant table. "Over here! Look who I found!!!"

"Tala."

"And Bryan," Rei smiled, greeting the lavender haired 'blader who'd sauntered over at Tala's beckoning.

"Did you miss me?" the redhead asked, batting his eyelashes at Kai. "It's been a long, long time, and you don't even write home anymore." At this he struck a tragic pose, hand on forehead. "We don't hear about our dear Kai, right Bryan? We can only wonder whether he's alive and well or dead and rotting in a gutter somewhere, whether he's eating properly or being driven to the edge of starvation by a savage tribe of cannibals, whether he's still single or married to an entire harem of scantily clad slave girls, whether he's-"

"I think we get it, Tala," Rei interrupted, sweatdropping.

"You do?" The boy glomped him over the back of his chair. "You always did understand me better than others, Rei-Rei! That's why you're so special to me!"

Rei gave a nervous laugh. "Thanks?"

"You're welcome!" Tala exclaimed brightly.

"What're you doing here, Tala?" Kai asked, trying to sound civil when his award winning plan was being torn to pieces by that disaster he called his friend. No, ex-friend, when he got through with him.

He pulled himself up proudly, slapping a fist against his chest. "Mr. Dickinson and the BBA have invited me, as captain of my team, here for an international conference on 'blading!" He blinked innocently. "Why Kai, haven't you been told?"

Kai narrowed his eyes. International conference? What international conference? Why hadn't he been told? Why weren't the Bladebreakers involved in this? Why… His trail of thought was brought to a screeching halt when he realised Rei was speaking to him. Forcefully, he focussed, tuning into that sublime frequency of sound that was the boy's voice.

"… Don't you remember?" Rei was asking him. "Mr. D was at the dojo just last week reminding us to show up!"

The wonder that was Kai's brain kicked into action, rewinding the important events of the week past that were not Rei-related, and found the conversation referred to. Yes, he was supposed to have known about it. "Yeah, I remember." He gave the neko a tiny smile that wasn't even intended to be flirtatious. "Thanks, Rei."

The other boy blinked, briefly taken aback by the display of normalcy from the Kai Hiwatari, while Tala's brain switched tracks and headed down a whole new road.

"Now what's the occasion here? Surely Kai hasn't come out and confessed? Hmm? Hmm?? Hmmmmm???"

"He did, kinda," Rei replied with a meaningful glance across the table. "But she couldn't make it, so…"

Tala frowned. "She? Who is this she? She is female. Female is a girl. Kai confessed to a she. Kai confessed to a female. Kai confessed to a girl." He did a violent double take. "KAI CONFESSED TO A GIRL?! What girl? Which girl? Where girl?" He leapt up onto the table, a hand over his eyes as he scanned the room, apparently for the girl. Unfortunately, caught sight of one who was alone a few tables down and launched himself at her. "You will face my wrath!" he roared, a maniacal grin on his face, eyes gleaming red.

As Kai and Rei watched on in horror, Bryan calmly walked over. "Tala, look here!" he said with unnatural brightness. The redhead turned, and his eyes turned big and extra-extra sparkly as he reached out and took hold of the stuffed rabbit. "It's Mr. Fluffykins the bunny!" he said happily, turning to show it to the girl he'd been trying to maul. "Isn't he cute?"

A few moments later, Tala and Bryan returned. "So who did you say he confessed to?" he asked smoothly as though the events of the last few minutes hadn't happened.

"Hillary," Rei said simply. "Didn't you know he's had a crush on her….? Who did you think he confessed to?"

If it was possible for a living person to experience rigor mortis, that was what Kai had been going through over the course of this short, nonsensically deadly conversation. His every limb stiffened and froze, he wouldn't have been able to speak even if he wanted to. Somehow, Tala appeared to sense this and in a rare display of sanity, changed topics smoothly as it was only possible for someone of his level of randomness.

He placed his fingertips together, expression one of sophisticated sobriety. "I ate a tomato yesterday that tasted… like a tomato." With this, he turned. "Come Bryan, let us dine."

The taller boy sighed and followed, on his guard in case it didn't last.

"OH MY GOD WHAT'S THAT?! DON'T EAT IT!!!" Tala ripped away the meal from a thus far peacefully dining couple. "WHAT KIND OF ANIMALS ARE YOU?" he screamed. "YOU…" There was silence, followed by a coo of, "It's Mr. Fluffykins the bunny!"

Kai glanced across the table at Rei to see if he looked as disappointed about their dinner being disturbed as he himself felt inside, but the boy was smiling in amusement as Tala finally quieted down enough to settle to dinner. He was just thinking that was the end of it and he could finally get down to beginning the 'Poetic Love Confession' (_All rights reserved_) when Rei said something that not only ruined his mood but also made his insides twist so hard they were probably inextricably knotted together.

"The White Tigers're coming for the conference too! Or at least Lee and Mariah are!"

He gripped his fork so tightly it should have bent out of sheer humility. Of all the names in the world, there was one that never failed to make Kai want to start breaking things in frustration, and that name was Mariah. He couldn't stand the pink haired pseudo feline for the simple reason that around Rei she tended to get… clingy… And even though it was apparently a sibling-ish bond she shared with Rei, it never failed to get him on edge. For the moment, however, he schooled his features to give none of this away and sufficed with a simple, "Hn."

"It'll be really good seeing them again," Rei went on, oblivious to the agony he was unwittingly putting his companion in. "Seeing Tala just reminded me how much I miss my old team…"

As much as he would have liked to listen to Rei reminisce, Kai had a purpose to fulfill on this date, and he would fulfill it no matter what.

"Rei," he began, distracting the boy from the stick of celery at the end of his fork.

"Hmm?"

He quickly revised the confession in his mind. Line one: 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day'.

Kai took a deep breath. "Shall I… Order anything for dessert?" he finished lamely with a deep sigh. This was just not his style. Hiwataris didn't quote Shakespeare, Shakespeare quoted Hiwataris. (In fact there was once a not-so popular theory that the Bard borrowed several of his idioms from the works of one Mushanokoji Hiwatari, a distant ancestor)

"Dessert sounds great!" Rei said. "But you sure you want to spend so much on a date that wasn't supposed to happen? I mean, you should save it for when you take Hillary out again."

Kai wasn't captain of the most successful Beyblading team in the world for nothing. He knew opportunities when he saw them, and this was an opportunity to set things right about himself and Hillary. "I won't be taking Hillary out again," he said bluntly.

Rei looked scandalized. "What? Why not? Don't tell me you're holding it against her that she couldn't show today!"

"No," he replied sharply. "I never liked her, Rei." Slowly, he could build up to the 'It's you I like' line. Or so he thought.

"I don't understand," the boy said slowly. "You buy her a gift, you ask her out to dinner, and now you say you don't have feelings for her?"

"I never did." If Kai hadn't been so focussed on getting Hillary out of the picture, he would have noticed the flash in Rei's eyes. It was the clatter of fork on plate that brought it to his notice that the neko jin was not pleased.

"You're unbelievable!" he snapped. "You led her on, Kai! How could you do that to her?"

"What?"

"It's so like you," Rei continued. "You don't give a damn about how other people feel, do you? The world's your oyster, and you can do whatever you want just 'cuz you can!"

Anyone else, and Kai would have yelled back. Anyone else, and he'd have punched him for daring to speak to him in that manner. But this was Rei, and all Kai could think of was how utterly gorgeous he looked when he was angry. Honestly, he was such a distraction.

Rei had gotten to his feet. "I can't believe I actually helped you," he said. "I wanted you guys to be happy!"

"Rei!" Kai realised his date was leaving him, and if decisive action wasn't taken the object of his affection would forever think he was a womanizing playboy. But hubris was the Hiwatari downfall, and he stayed put, not prepared to go after him.

"I hope you intend to tell her yourself," Rei said, narrowing his eyes. "Hillary doesn't deserve to go through this." He whipped around on his heel and stalked out. The night was cold and for the millionth time he wondered why he hadn't gotten himself some winter wear. A few paces into the dark street and he walked directly into a broad figure that he belatedly recognised as Bryan.

"What's the matter, Rei-Rei?" Tala asked concernedly. "Why're you leaving? Where's Kai? What'd he do to you?"

"Just proved he's as big a jerk as ever, that's all," he mumbled.

"Well we always knew that," the redhead said, slinging an arm around the Chinese boy's shoulder. "So it shouldn't worry you that much!"

"What worries me is that he still doesn't understand that people have feelings," Rei said. "He told me just a few days ago he liked Hillary and now he says he doesn't. After he confessed to her!"

Tala might've been prone to occasional fits of insanity, but when he was capable of coherent thought, he was very coherent indeed. Especially when it came to Kai. The poor boy thought he was so brilliant but in the end, it was easy to predict him. "Ah," he said delicately. "You see, Rei-Rei, you shouldn't hold that against him… Kai is… confused."

"Huh?"

"Yes, Kai's confused," Tala continued. "He thought he liked Hillary, you see, but it turns out he doesn't. Blame it on the traumatic childhood he went through…"

"Traumatic childhood?"

"Blame it on something else then," the boy went on smoothly. "But you need to understand that what Kai needs is someone to…" He thought for a moment. "Hold on to." Raising his hand to his heart, his eyes glistened with dramatic tears. "In the world that's falling apart around him, he needs someone to turn to for strength. He thought that someone was the beauteous brunette Hillary, but she sadly sees him as a brother- a fact that he's denied to himself for the pain it causes him… So you see, Rei, you mustn't blame him for his wandering heart!"

Rei blinked. "I'll pretend like I understood that, shall I?"

"Yes! And forgive Kai and help him find the path of true love!"

"Are you… Are you sure he doesn't like Hillary?"

"Positive!" Tala beamed.

The dark haired boy thought for a moment. It was, he supposed, possible that he'd been reading the signs wrong and maybe there wasn't really any chemistry between the two… Perhaps Kai really did need help finding the right person…

Still in the restaurant, Kai was pigging out. Comfort food, costing him several thousand with every bite, but what did he care? Rei was gone, he'd blown any chances he had, all that was left to do was eat. And eat.

The buzz of his phone broke him away from his gluttonous pleasure. "Hn."

"How's it going?!" asked a hyper sounding Hillary.

He hung up. How he despised her at the moment. Losing interest in the food, he flung stalked out of the dining hall, barking at the maitre'd to charge it to his grandfather. Stepping out into the street, he saw Rei leaning against one of the unlit lampposts by the street, arms crossed, his eyes golden in the darkness. Kai hesitated. Why was he waiting…?

"Rei?"

"Hey," he said hesitantly, not meeting his gaze as though embarrassed. "I didn't mean to come off so rude about the whole thing… And I didn't realise Hillary didn't see you that way… I'm sorry. I guess I was so excited bout the whole thing I kinda missed out on the important bits."

"Hn," was all Kai would say as he found himself falling in love all over again. This was what he liked about Rei- he was strong, intelligent and fiercely proud, but never one to deny his own flaws or admit when he was wrong. It was enough to make even someone like Kai feel unworthy.

Unworthy? The Hiwatari blood bristled. Of course he wasn't unworthy. He deserved Rei, and Rei deserved him. All they needed was some work.

The streetlight above them flared into life, and Rei smiled, haloed in the golden light.

"Let's get home."

* * *

Okay I'm not entirely happy with how this turned out... Tell me what you think pwease! 


	6. When the Tigers Came to Town

After an unintentionally long delay, here's chapter 5, in which there is the arrival of the White Tigers, flying noodles, and everyone's favourite image of Rei-Rei (with that deliciously gorgeous hair down, yknow)!

* * *

For the millionth time, Kai ruminated on how he hated being in love. It was the stupidest feeling in the world. He hated how being around the one he loved made him feel gross and gooey- adjectives that should never be used of so imperial a line as the Hiwataris. And yet there he was, grossly and gooey-ly in love with Rei Kon, with nothing to show for it except an almost-date and a somehow misunderstood coat. This from someone famed for his analytical mind and daring shows of power in the stadium.

Pathetic.

What was more pathetic was that it had come to the point that he was getting help from a girl- and not just any girl, but the girl whom he'd decided on the day they first met that he'd never exchange more than a few sentences with if his life depended on it.

"Now, Kai, you shouldn't see this as a failure but a chance for improvement! I spoke to Rei and he's all fired up to help you find the one!"

"Hn."

"I have a plan."

Kai was out of his seat in record time. "No way. Your plans suck." Hillary yanked him back down.

"This is a good plan, Kai!" she exclaimed. "Trust me! Since Rei's determined to get you together with someone, all we need to do is let him understand for himself that he's the one for you!"

"And how, pray tell, do we do that?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"I'm not sure," she declared brightly. "But I'm sure we'll figure something out once the White Tigers get here."

_"What_?!"

"Oh come on, Kai, you didn't forget about the BBA conference, did you? Lee and Mariah're arriving today!"

Kai felt his living version of rigor mortis set in again. He'd carefully erased all memories of the conference being a reality because he wasn't prepared to face the ordeal of seeing Rei get along so well with his ex-team-mates. Yes, he admitted to himself with some chagrin, he, Kai, was jealous. Lee and Mariah had just that level of closeness with the _koneko _that he desired, albeit on a less passionate level. Their coming was only going to take him to new levels of depression, that was for sure.

"Stop being so melodramatic," Hillary snapped. "I think this is a wonderful opportunity for you!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why? I get to impress my in-laws?"

"No, you moron!" A strange look came into the girl's eyes. "Ah, you'll see!"

Kai felt no comfort as he watched her skip off.

* * *

Mariah stretched herself, stepping into the airport with a smile. "Ah, Japan," she sighed, reaching up to adjust her magenta ponytail. "I hope Rei remembers we're coming today!"

"It'd be unlike him to forget," Lee said, coming up beside her. "Rei's extremely responsible."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't need you to tell me that," she stated. "He'd be better than you, _Mr_. _Going Back to the Village Ten Times to Pick up Stuff You Forgot_."

If the boy was at all embarrassed by this, he didn't show it except for a careful cough. "Well, it never hurts to be prepared for any eventuality."

"Right. You keep telling yourself that, Lee," she smiled. "Now," she began, scanning the sea of faces for one that she recognised, golden eyes coming to rest on just who she was looking for. "Rei!"

The boy waved back at her, and she ran over for a leaping hug that nearly knocked him over. "It's so good to see you!"

"Good to see you again too, Mariah," he replied, setting her down carefully before turning to smile at Lee. "You too, Lee."

"Yes. Greetings," he said formally. "I hope it isn't a bother coming to pick us up-" Lee then courteously declined Rei's offer to help with the luggage and carried both his and Mariah's things to the hired taxi, and politely sat in the front.

"Um…"

"It's a phase," Mariah told him. "We don't get it either."

"Right. Well, let's head to Tyson's for lunch! I've been up since six cooking!"

"We couldn't possibly impose," Lee said at once. "We'll just eat at the hotel."

"Lee!" Mariah scolded.

Rei rolled his eyes. "Are you going to be like this all week?"

"I'm only being polite," the White Tigers' Captain said. "It's a cultivable habit."

The taxi pulled out into the highway, and Mariah began giving Rei the low-down on what he'd been missing back in the village.

"People're talking about you coming back, as usual," she said. "We tried telling them you've moved on for good this time, but you know how they are…" Honey coloured eyes asked a question and Rei smiled gently.

"I have," he said. "The 'Breakers… They're as much my family as you guys are. I don't think I could leave them again, even if I wanted to."

Mariah nodded. "There's my boy," she said. "I was just making sure. We miss you, you know."

"I miss you guys too, believe me! And over the past few days more than ever!"

"Oh? What's been happening over the past few days?"

He explained the Kai-Hillary situation to the pink haired girl, who turned a thoughtful gaze up at the taxi roof. "That's weird… Kai never struck me as the confused type…"

"I didn't think he was either… But Tala said he is, so he must be," Rei shrugged. "I guess Tyson's the only one of us who's completely sure of himself."

"That's because Tyson's stupid," Mariah stated, just as the car pulled up outside the Granger dojo.

"Reii!" the subject of their current conversation yelled, running out of the front gates. "Tell me you've got food on ya!"

Rei blinked. "No, Tyson, I don't," he said uncertainly. "Was I supposed to bring any?"

"No," the baseball cap clad boy said. "But Gramps says I can't eat till your ex teammates show up and they just don't seem to be getting' here, stupid kitty people!"

"Ahem."

A rigid grin froze itself on Tyson's face. "You went to get them, huh?"

Rei nodded, feeling a bit sorry for their resident hero as he turned to greet Lee and Mariah with the same rigid grin.

"Hey guys, welcome to Japan!"

"Greetings," Lee said again in his infuriatingly formal tone.

"Yeah, that."

Mariah chose to smile pleasantly, the glint in her cat-slit pupils the only sign of displeasure she showed. "Hello, Tyson," she said.

"Mariah," he acknowledged, taking an involuntary step back. "I'll go tell Gramps you guys're here!"

They watched him make a run for it, slamming into Max on the way and dragging him back into the house as well.

"How?" the neko jin girl wondered aloud. "How are those guys family to you?"

* * *

"Kai?"

"Not hungry."

Hillary opened the door and stomped over the boy sprawled across his bed.

"Hiwatari!" she snapped. "Stop behaving like a baby!"

"Hn."

She reached over, grabbed hold of one bare foot and yanked with enough force to send the grey-blue haired boy crashing to the floor. Kai leapt up, eyes blazing.

"You bloody-"

She held up a hand to cut him off. "Shut up and come to lunch, Kai, or I'll tell Rei how you feel about him in such revoltingly obscene terms that he'll marry Mariah right now."

They had a brief glaring match and Kai realised to his horror that the girl meant what she said.

"I don't wanna see him with them. It's depressing."

"Come to lunch anyway. Grampa put me in charge of the seating arrangements." She winked at him and flashed him a victory sign before running off, leaving Kai as ill at ease as the last time she'd done so.

As expected, the seat Hillary had arranged for him was next to Rei, with Tyson on the other side of the Chinese boy. Across from him were- here Kai bit back a scowl- them. The 'honoured guests'. Lee inclined his head formally, and Mariah gave him a strangely sympathetic smile that he didn't quite understand. Hillary herself went to sit next to the other girl, winking at him. The wisdom of the arrangement never struck him until they actually started eating, and then Kai noticed something about Tyson he'd never noticed before. Not only did the boy eat frightening amounts of food, he did so very, very messily. Meaning poor Rei ended up with stray noodles in his hair on several occasions.

Stray noodles that, it dawned on Kai with amazing clarity, would spoil the texture of the raven black tresses unless removed quickly. Removed quickly by the person sitting next to the owner of the tresses. _Him._

"Rei, you've got noodles in your hair."

Tyson turned to the boy with a mouthful of the food he'd been shovelling into his mouth, face flecked with sauce. "'M sorry Rei," he said muffledly. "But thish ish yummy!"

"You're spraying all over him, Tyson!" Max laughed. "Poor Rei looks like a walking noodle machine!"

The neko jin made a face, not entirely because of the idiocy of the golden haired boy's statement. "Could you get em out, Kai?" he asked, turning to the stoic male to his right. "It'll take ages if they dry!"

He might as well have asked Kai to marry him, such was the fanfare blaring within.

Carefully, so as to relish the feeling of that hair beneath his fingers, Kai pulled out the wormy looking noodle mass, flinging it randomly behind him, ignoring Kenny's cry that he'd thrown it at the computer screen (what the boy was doing with his laptop at lunch was beyond him). He was so close to Rei… and there was that flower scent again….

He stood up. "It's gone," he snapped. "And I'm done." Turning on his heel, he marched out of the room, telling himself that if Hillary was still alive the next day it'd be amazing. That girl had a twisted mind. This was getting ridiculous, however. Any close proximity to the neko made him want to kiss him senseless now, even in a crowded dining room. Not good.

Meanwhile in the dining hall after Kai's inexplicable departure, a certain magenta haired girl had noticed something.

Something very interesting indeed.

* * *

Slender fingers ran through the rich dark hair, carefully working out any remaining tangles before following with a comb.

"It's not fair you have prettier hair than me," Mariah pouted.

The boy gave her a sidelong look. "You wouldn't like it so much if you had to face as many 'are you a girl' questions as I've had to."

"But still!" she protested, before starting out on braiding the much admired locks. They continued in silence, well used to the ritual from their days as children back at the village. "It's a good thing you managed to get the noodles out so soon, huh?"

"Oh yeah!" he exclaimed. "The last time it happened it took me hours to shampoo it all out!"

"Thanks to _Kai's _quick acting, I guess!" she said, turning her gaze to the mirror across the room so she could monitor her friend's reactions when she spoke the team Captain's name.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Tyson can be a pig sometimes, but he's fun, so you can never stay angry at him too long."

"Sometimes?" she laughed again, frowning inwardly when the boy changed the topic. "So have you thought of how you're gonna help Kai find the one?"

Again she watched, and this time, found what she was looking for. A flash in his eyes- of something- a stray emotion, perhaps, but one that had no business being there under normal circumstances.

"No… I was thinking it has to be someone in the 'blading circles or it'd never work out. Kai's far too passionate about Dranzer for anyone else to understand."

"Ah," Mariah said carefully. "What else do you think his ideal girl should be like?"

"Well she's gotta be someone he knows- that's why I thought Hil was such a good match for him- 'cuz Kai's really not good with strangers."

"And?"

He smiled, half to himself. "He's very different from most people… She's gotta _get _him…"

"Like you do?"

"Yeah."

"You like him, don't you?"

"Yeah-" He jerked up. "What?"

"I knew it!" Mariah cried, jumping up and pointing at him. "I knew it I knew it I knew it!!! You should've seen the look on your face at lunch! If I'd seen that, I'd never have imagined the guy was getting food out of your hair! You were a step away from purring!"

Rei clambered to sit in an 'angry kitty' pose on the bed, golden eyes blazing, his expression one of betrayed indignity. The boy's cheeks were flushed a brilliant shade of red, and she had to laugh with sheer delight at his- well- cuteness.

"C'mon, Rei, admit it! You do!"

"I- I don't!" he said vehemently. "It was just in the flow of things that… I really- Kai'd never- I can't-"

He was cut off when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind, smiling into his back.

"You can," she said. "I think you'd be perfect together."

Rei relaxed slightly, still wondering how the conversation had turned this way, when the door slid open and Kai stepped in.

"Hillary sent me to-" Vine coloured eyes surveyed the scene before him, of Mariah hugging _his _Rei. Who happened to clad only in his black gi pants. With his hair down and looking painfully adorable, although somewhat startled. Kai turned on his heel to hide his blush and marched out without a word.

Mariah couldn't help but giggle at how horrifiedly still Rei had gotten when the painted faced boy had entered the room, and how the blush had re-emerged on is cheeks with full force.

"I do like him, don't I?" Rei said at length with a pathetic sort of smile.

"You do."

And now, Mariah knew her mission. Before she left, she had to get it done. It was time to get Kai Hiwatari to fall in love.

* * *

Several rooms down, Hillary had just managed to convince Kai that there was no doubting the sibling-esque nature of Mariah's relationship with Rei, and gotten him to go to bed where he could fantasize about the neko jin only half dressed and with his hair down. Meanwhile, she was concocting a series of plans in her mind. Before the White Tigers left, it had to be made official. It was time to get Rei Kon to fall in love.

* * *

And so, as it stands, Hillary knows Kai likes Rei, and Mariah knows Rei likes Kai. Will girl power prevail to help them find the path of true love? Or will everything just get completely mucked up again? Stay tuned to find out! And do review, I so love it when you tell me what you think! 


	7. Do the Let It Rip Dance!

Hola everyone! A thousand apologies for taking a whole YEAR to update, but have been going through various stages of alternate obsessions, writers' block and life changing decisions. I dunno if anyone's still reading this (although one reviewer ahem-StZen-ahem still is and I gotta thank you for sparking my inspiration again! huggles) but here goes!

* * *

"Three! Two! One! Let it- Gah! Tala what are you doing?"

Icy blue eyes blinked innocently at Tyson. "This is the Let it Rip dance," he said simply while Bryan burst into a guffaw of laughter.

Tyson, for the first time in his I-always-know-what-to-do life, was stumped. "The… Let it Rip dance?"

"Of course," said the redheaded Russian brightly. "It's a new BBA rule that you gotta do the dance before releasing your 'blade! Everyone in Europe knows it, I guess you poor Japanese are still living in the past…" He accented his point with a suitably pitying gesture, ignoring the chortles from Bryan that would have given the game away if his subject had been anyone other than the baseball cap wearing hero.

Tyson frowned. It was true that he wasn't as familiar with what was happening in the Beyblading circuits elsewhere, but he was sure that someone would've told him if there was a new dance rule, especially if the dance involved swishing your arms from left to right like a demented pendulum. His brother at least, would have told him, Tyson reasoned, considering Hiro didn't seem to mind looking like an idiot in front of millions of people (if his choice of wardrobe was anything to go by).

"So are we doing this today or can I go play with Mr. Fluffykins the bunny?" Tala called from across the yard.

"Eh? Oh, yeah!" Tyson said, snapping out of the rare moment of thought. "But first… Could ya teach me that dance too, Tala?"

* * *

Kai frowned at the blank page in front of him. He never thought listing out what he loved most about Rei would be such a daunting task, but he found himself unable to even think of where to begin.

"I love his hair," he told himself. "That's a start. I love… I love his eyes, too. And…"

"Don't just think about the physical aspects," said a voice beside his ear, and he just stopped himself from jumping a foot in alarm before glaring viciously at Hillary who was peering quite alarmingly over his shoulder.

"Don't watch me, woman!"

"And you don't take that tone with me, Kai," the girl said impatiently. "I can only help you if you're willing to cooperate. This exercise is important!"

"Why?"

"Because you can't confess your love for someone unless you know what you love about them, of course."

Kai blinked. Somehow he knew this reasoning was flawed, the only thing was he wasn't sure why. Backtracking through what Hillary'd said, he decided to ignore his gut instinct and instead asked, "Who said I'm gonna confess my love?" His last plan had involved a confession and it had bombed. Kai did not look forward to going through another experience of that sort. "Hmph," he added for good measure.

She gave him a withering look. "What? You think this will work without you ever telling Rei how you feel? Haven't you learned anything from what's been going on so far? Your attitude is only gonna lead to more misunderstandings, and the more of those there are the less the chances that Rei'll actually see how you feel about him!" Shaking her head, she continued, half under her breath as though ranting to herself. "Stupid rich kids, thinking things will happen without them doing anything… Makes me wonder how you're even capable of feeling something like affection for…"

Hillary trailed off, realizing she'd lost her audience. Kai was looking quite fixedly outside the window, where she had thus far assumed Tyson was having a match with Tala. Curious, she walked over to look for, and successfully spot, Rei doubled over with laughter as the redhead taught the Bladebreakers' star how to jerk around like a robotic chicken.

It was a bit disturbing. The dancing, that is.

But it was plain to see that Kai couldn't care less if Tala was teaching Tyson to fly, his crimson gaze was quite irremovably on the laughing neko-jin. And she couldn't really blame him, the neko-jin had a nice laugh. Cute, she would call it, even though Rei wouldn't appreciate that.

Kai licked his lips ever so subtly.

But not so subtly that Hillary didn't notice. Oh, the fluff that could ensue once they got together, she thought in delight, making a mental note to start carrying her camera and maybe a pair of binoculars around soon.

In her mind, she had already drawn up Plan Number 5. It was clichéd, but everyone knew clichés worked best, especially in situations like this.

It would be simple; she knew Rei went for a run early every morning to keep himself in shape. She knew Kai wandered out to god-knows-where every morning to save himself from the dojo's Dawn Chorus (Tyson yelling at his Grandfather to stop hogging the bathroom, Kenny trying to tell Tyson what he'd learned on his late night net-surfing, Max trying to ask them both if they wanted waffles or cornflakes for breakfast, both of them warning him not to put mayonnaise on whatever it was, Hillary telling the lot of them to get to the warm up math sums she'd assigned… It went on and on really…)

Wouldn't it be nice, she thought, if the two of them happened to run into each other while on their runs/wanderings? Surrounded by the early morning mists, Rei's cheeks flushed from his exercise, hair almost free of its tie, and Kai with really no destination but having been using all that time to think about the very boy who'd ended up before him… If that wasn't a good enough setting for a confession she didn't know what was!

"Kai!" she said suddenly, almost startling the boy again- almost because, of course, Hiwataris were never startled. "I need you to do something for me."

"No."

"What d'you mean no?" she demanded. "Tomorrow morning, I want you to go up to the shrine and make an offering for me."

"Say what?" he blinked.

Hillary crossed her arms impatiently. "It's not that hard to understand, is it?" she asked, handing him a coin. "Just go up to the shrine and drop this in the offering box, okay? I'm sure it'll be worth your while!"

He gave her a suspicious look, but pocketed the coin anyway. "Hn."

The girl beamed, feeling proud of herself. Rei started his run by jogging up the shrine steps to warm up, after all. Coincidentally, Kai would be at the bottom of the stairs as he descended them.

Plan number 5 (Hillary Side): A Chance Meeting on a Misty Morning

This one was going to work, she knew it.

* * *

Lee examined himself in the mirror, ensuring that he looked presentable yet formidable. It had occurred to him during the last World Championship that among all the other teams, the White Tigers were the most… _Culturally Attuned_, in that everything about them, from their clothes to their manners, made it clear that they originated from a small mountain village in China. And although Lee was ridiculously proud of said heritage, time spent with Rei had made him realise that perhaps some degree of modernity was necessary.

And the first step to civilization? The cultivation of good manners, of course. He had personally chosen to take the first steps towards this himself, secretly ordering books on politeness and propriety and the like, rehearsing in the privacy of his home the correct way to greet someone new ('_Greetings'_) and shake their hand ('_Two firm pumps with your right fist'_). At the next World Championship, Lee planned, the White Tigers would outdo the Majestics in courtesy.

He stepped out of his room, or rather the room that he was sharing with Rei, and headed out to the yard where he could hear sounds of raucous laughter that he didn't find awfully couth. Rei was there, laughing, sitting next to the young Russian who had nearly killed him at his first World Championship. That was excusable, of course, Bryan had since become a much more sociable person.

"Greetings of the morning," Lee pronounced, joining the two but not sitting down because it was impolite to sit down unless asked to do so by the host- in this case Tyson- who was doing something extremely strange at the moment. He paused when he caught sight of him, though. "Hey there, Lee!" Tyson called, even though his arms were both stuck to one side. "I'm just learning but we can have a match when I'm done, okay?"

"Ah!" Tala exclaimed, doing a strange spinning jump to face him, hand outstretched and finger pointing at the White Tigers' captain. "Just the man I wanted to see! C'mon, you need to learn this too!"

Leonine eyes blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"Oh, no, don't beg, I'll give it to you," Tala told him kindly, stepping over to pull him towards where Tyson was. "You already know about the Let It Rip dance regulation, I'm sure?"

"I'm afraid I don't follow."

Tala put his arms around him, and despite his own alarm Lee could sense Bryan bristle slightly. "Don't be afraid," the redhead said, patting his head in what he thought was a soothing manner. "I'll teach you, okay?"

Lee frowned. He hadn't read far enough to politely refuse.

* * *

Mariah finally had an idea. It had taken her forever, especially because she was in the habit of thinking out loud and she couldn't really do that when Hillary, who she was rooming with, was around.

Early that morning she'd snuck out and followed Kai when he'd gone out- undetected, of course, being neko-jin was equivalent to being ninja- to see that he liked taking a walk around the block and through the nearby woods (where he spent some time napping in a bush, apparently). Her idea was to send Rei on an errand that took him in that direction and let destiny do the rest. If things went as she had timed them, they'd slam into each other as they turned a corner, knocking down whatever it was that she asked Rei to get for her- books it was in her mind- and as Kai gallantly helped pick up the fallen books their hands would accidentally touch…

Ah, beautiful.

"Oh, Reiii…"

* * *

Rei lay in bed that night, staring up at the moonlit shadows on the ceiling, kept awake by Lee's soft, but persistent, snoring. Apparently how to sleep without waking your roommate was something that hadn't been covered in his ridiculous book of good manners.

It had been a day since Mariah'd found out, and to his surprise, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Truthfully, one of the reasons he'd kept his… crush… on Kai a secret from the girl was the fear that she'd march up to the blue-grey haired boy, eyes flashing, and demand that he initiate a formal courtship procedure as per the customs of their village.

He shuddered involuntarily, and pulled the blankets higher, turning on the futon to direct his gaze at the blank wall. What would he do, he wondered, if Kai did somehow find out? What would Kai do?

Lee snorted in his sleep, mumbled something about fighting for justice, and Rei sat up. "Lee?"

_"I shall be avenged!"_ the White Tigers' captain declaimed, still pretty much asleep.

The other neko-jin couldn't help but smile. He was a little crazy, yes, but then again, so was everyone else in the 'Blading circuit without exception. The Russian ball of energy currently rooming with Kai came to mind almost instantly.

Ah, Kai.

Rei knew the situation was going to get ridiculous very soon. He'd promised that he'd help Kai find the right one but he was slowly but steadily starting to have doubts about whether he could really do that without being swayed by his own feelings- in other words, that part of him that wanted to scream 'I'm the right one! Pick me! Pick me!'.

That part of him made Rei a little uncomfortable.

He'd always held a degree of respect and admiration for the team captain (even when he was being somewhat mysterious and treacherous), especially his strength. He admired Tyson's strength too, but with Kai, it was different, more controlled… And it was a lot more than just admiration.

He shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts away, looking down to see his hand had instinctively found Driger. How, he wondered, looking down at the White Tiger bit, could it possibly work out between them? Sure, as a team they'd done okay, but for the first time in a long time, the problem wasn't about beyblading. 'Blading he could handle, he thought, smiling in recollection. He knew he was good at it. He was confident in his own strength.

Lee uttered another dramatic line in his sleep. He was ignored.

Lying back in bed holding the beyblade above him, Rei realised he just had to think the same way in this situation as well. Just like during a battle, when it was all about clear thinking and not letting your emotions get the better of you. Just like how Kai was in a battle.

An unpleasant pang shot through him at the thought of having to put his feelings on hold permanently, but he ignored it. He was Rei Kon. He'd been able to sacrifice a lot to achieve his dreams, and he knew he had what it took to do it now, as well. If he truly did feel that strongly about Kai, then he should be able to be happy in Kai's happiness with whoever it was that he found for him. Yes, he said to himself, setting Driger down and pulling his sheets up to try and get back to sleep, he was going to help Kai find the right one, and he would be happy for him.

Lee turned in his sleep, still in his rather grandiose dream, and delivered his finishing blow. _"You lie! You lie!"_

* * *

It was morning.

_The_ morning.

Both Kai and Rei set out at their assigned times along assigned paths, unaware of the plots that lay entwined around their every step, unaware of the minds of two teenage girls focussed on them and what the outcome of their journeys would be, unaware that that morning of all mornings, during those early fog covered dawn hours when all was calm, pleasant and peaceful, in the picturesque locales of the town they both called home…

Nothing was going to happen.

Kai went up to the shrine, made the offering, and headed back.

Rei jogged to the library in town, picked up the books Mariah wanted, and headed back.

They all had breakfast that Grandpa Granger had 'scrummagified up from scratcheroo'.

Hillary and Mariah returned to their bases of operation- Kai's and Rei's rooms respectively- and wailed.

Whatever will happen now? Next chapter'll be up in a jiffy! Scout's honour!

Oh, and tell me what you think!


End file.
